Türkiye supports Syria’s territorial integrity, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, as the two leaders spoke over the phone on Tuesday.
Erdoğan discussed Türkiye-Russia ties, and recent developments in Syria with President Putin, the Presidential Communications Directorate said.
He emphasized that while supporting Syria’s territorial integrity, Türkiye strives for a permanent solution to the Syrian crisis, as he said the Assad regime must also be engaged in a political solution.
Erdoğan told the Russian leader that Syria should not become a source of greater instability in the region.
Türkiye will continue to maintain its determined stance in fighting the PKK terror group, and its extensions who are trying to take advantage of the recent developments in Syria, Erdoğan said.
Stressing that civilians must not be harmed in Syria, he said Ankara is exerting utmost efforts to restore calm in the neighboring country, where a civil war has continued since 2011.
The Kremlin said on Monday Russia and Iran called for coordination with Türkiye over the renewed conflict in Syria as Vladimir Putin and Masoud Pezeshkian held a phone call about the situation.
Clashes broke out on Nov. 27 between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups in the western countryside of Aleppo in northern Syria, marking a re-escalation of the fighting after a period of relative calm in the conflict that has gripped Syria for more than a decade.
Tehran and Moscow are key allies of the Assad regime which suffered from territorial losses since anti-regime forces began their advance towards Aleppo and other provinces last week.
Türkiye is a northern neighbor of Syria and severed its ties with the Assad regime following the eruption of unrest there more than a decade ago. Ankara backs the Syrian opposition forces that captured Tal Rifaat from PKK/YPG while Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which led the advance to Aleppo is recognized as a terrorist group.
